Blue Flames Burn Brightest
by kestrelcadiz
Summary: No one knows Sakura's true self. She was not weak. She was not fragile. She didn't want a protector...especially not an assassin! A story told in 100 word bites. AU
1. Sakurakouji Sakura

**Disclaimer: **Is it enough to write the word "Disclaimer" or do I need to explain further?

This is a new style I am trying, inspired by the author forthright, written for a rather neglected fandom. This is an AU based around the characters from Code: Breaker. Each chapter will be 100 words long and I plan to update on weekdays. I hope you enjoy it.

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**Blue Flames Burn Brightest**

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**Sakura Sakurakouji**

Sakura Sakurakouji was a normal girl. Popular, demure and pretty, she was the object of many of the boy's affections. The girls loved her too. She was like an idol, outwardly sweet and in need of protection.

Which was why she rejected every confession that came her way. Naturally they assumed that it was a problem with themselves rather than her. Sakura sighed. None of them knew her true self.

She hated their disappointed looks, but the one they liked was an illusion. As a black belt in three martial arts she was hardly fragile. No boy she knew understood.


	2. Umihana Park

**Umihana Park**

For the past month, every day Sakura would go to the Umihana Park. She would place an onigiri on the ground and wait. Dog would appear. His homeless owner had died a month ago, killed. He was forgotten now, except by her. Dog still didn't trust her, cringing away from her hands. She fed him anyway, she would help him.

Today she was late.

Running, Sakura almost lost her footing. It would be dark soon and Umihana park was known gang territory.

A blue flash caught her attention. A boy was leaning against a tree. His hand was on _fire._


	3. The Hunter

**The Hunter**

The world was tainted.

His target today was G-Falcon. For months the gang had been trading drugs, and mugging the helpless. Even the police were involved, corrupted by a lucrative industry. They had caught Eden's attention.

Quiet now, the park was empty, everyone leaving before dark. It wasn't safe here at night, G-Falcon territory.

Absentmindedly clicking his fingers, Oogami summoned bright blue flames round his hand before letting them disperse. He had been able to control flames, at least with his left hand, ever since he was seven.

He heard a gasp. Looked up.

The park wasn't quite empty yet.


	4. Tense

**Tense**

Sakura gaped.

The boy looked up. Froze. Stared.

Neither moved. He seemed casual, eyes bored, leaning back against a tree. He looked human, normal, but his hand had been on fire. A questioning look came over his face. Frowning, he seemed about to speak when a loud bark rang out. Startled, she glanced away, then back.

_He was gone!_

She stumbled back. Had he been a demon? A ghost? How could he just disappear?

Another bark sounded, followed by a familiar whine. Almost like Dog.

He must be nearby. But something didn't sound right.

Shaking her head, she ran off.


	5. A Mistake

**A Mistake**

Dammit! Carelessness! How had he missed her? A civilian had seen his flame powers! Luckily, she had been distracted by that bark, but that was still a damn screw-up! He shouldn't rely on luck!

From the tree, Oogami watched as she ran off, following the barks. No, this wasn't good. He ignored the shame in the pit of his stomach, jumping down silently to follow her, to silence her for his own mistake. There could be no witnesses.

The sound of struggling brought him out of his dark musings. He quickened his pace.

Tonight he wasn't the only evil out.


	6. Faulter Point

**Falter Point**

Sakura followed the whines, worry growing. Turning the corner, she saw shadowy figures crowding around something small, she could barely make it out in the dark. Creeping up slowly she heard their laughing, drunken, cruel. These people were predators.

'This is dangerous' she suddenly realized. Looking around, no one else was nearby. The voice at the back of her head was screaming, 'Not safe! Not safe!' She was still distanced enough not to be noticed. She could get away.

Whimpers escaped the bloody bundle at their feet. A swift kick brought out a pained bark.

She gasped. It was Dog.


	7. The Wicked

**The Wicked**

The men laughed, kicking Dog over and over. It made her feel sick. Snatching her phone from her pocket she ran forwards.

"Hey! Leave Dog alone! What makes you think you can pick on the weak like that?" She yelled out, stopping feet away. Turning, they leered at her, their leader smirking.

"Oooh, look at that, a girly turned up to join our fun" He kicked Dog again. They laughed.

"I'm serious! Stop it right now or I'll call the police!" He only sneered.

"I said-" Sakura froze. A chill went down her spine.

A blade pressed against her neck.


	8. Moment

**Moment**

"Don't move, dearie. Wouldn't want to injure that pretty neck. Yet." She shuddered. The way he spoke made her feel unclean. Focusing on breathing, she calmed down, remembered her training. There were several methods for hand against weapon combat.

_Three._ "Hey look. I caught myself a little kitten." This lead to more raucous laughter.

_Two._ "Let me use her first. You always break your little toys" His grip on the knife slackened.

_One._ With a quick grasp and twist she threw the assailant over her shoulder. The rest blinked, startled. She took up a fighting stance.

"One more time, stop."


	9. Petal Dance

**Petal Dance**

They rushed her. Admittedly she fought pretty well. He had been impressed when she chose to fight for the life of a dog at such risk to her own. She was brave, he had seen her hesitate a safe distance away, before deciding to help. That it was worth the risk.

He watched as they fell to her, it was entrancing to watch. He had seen better fighters, stronger fighters, but there was something about her energy that was more fluid, alive. Like dancing.

In any fair fight she'd have won.

He stepped forwards as she fell to a taser.


	10. Fall

**Fall**

Pain. She heard the buzz before it hit, eyes wide, fingers suddenly spasming into claw shapes as she fell, unable to catch herself with suddenly limp arms. She felt all her muscles convulse painfully, and was unable to withhold the whimper she felt in her throat, barely registering that she should have hit the ground already.

The shocks stopped rather suddenly. She gasped for breath, eyelids fluttering as she felt herself lowered to the ground. Every muscle trembled. A deep ache in her chest. A gentle caress on her cheek.

Screams, a dark angel, blue fire, blackness…

'_Burn to ashes'_


	11. Saviour

**Savior  
**

He caught her before she hit the ground. G-Falcon seemed dumbfounded by his sudden appearance. Looking up from where he held her he glared.

"So who are you then, her boyfriend?" They all flicked out weapons. He placed her gently on the ground, and felt, almost fascinated by her existence, and it filled him with sorrow that he would have to destroy such a bright soul, so brave, righteous, because of a mistake on his part. A girl who would risk her life in defense of even a stray dog.

He looked up.

"I am here to burn your evil"


	12. Nothing But Ashes

**Nothing But Ashes**

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and evil for evil," He stood. Their eyes widened as blue fire began to glow, eerie in the dim light.

It was effortless. Satan's Blaze caught everywhere, too hot to go out, and he urged the flames higher, hotter still. He smiled as they screamed, and some might have even described it as peaceful, or satisfied. He had done this too often, felt too numb for the screams to be anymore than noise.

The girl lay unconscious to the side, his next victim.

The screaming had stopped.

"Burn to ashes"


	13. Sunrise

**Sunrise**

There was some bright light, something burning her eyelids. Sakura hissed as the sunlight blinded her sensitive eyes, muscles aching as the wiped away stray tears. It was then she became aware that there was birdsong nearby, and a loamy scent to the air. She was outside…

With a gasp she sat up, looking around quickly. It looked to be midmorning, the sun high in the cloudy sky. She was seated on a park bench. But that wasn't right! She had been looking for Dog, and gotten into a fight with that gang. She had fallen…

Why was she unharmed?


	14. Invisible

**Invisible**

There was a coat on her lap. It was probably the only thing that held off hypothermia overnight.

It also wasn't hers.

Looking around, she saw early morning commuters shuffling by. Joggers ran. Dog walkers strolled slowly, breathing the crisp morning air. No one seemed to notice her, a strange girl who had been sleeping on a park bench. Their eyes slid over her like they would a ghost. Ignored.

This was what homelessness was like. Like Dog's owner had been, a no one.

She hated it, the apathy. How almost nobody cared to help each other.

Apparently someone did.


	15. Plan

**Plan**

Shivering, she stood up.

There was no point dallying much longer. She had to get home, assure her parents she was alright. She never stayed out all night without notifying them at some point. Luckily it was Saturday, so there was no rush for school.

Firstly, she had to check up on Dog. He had been badly beaten by the time she intervened, and in definite need of a vet. That was hours ago now. Gathering the coat, she started towards the spot she'd last seen him.

But in her heart, doubts whispered that maybe it was already too late.


	16. Niggling

**Niggling**

Something was not right.

At first she ignored the police cordon. It was a good sign that the area was taped off. That meant the authorities had gotten involved. In fact that would explain why she hadn't been attacked further after falling unconscious. Besides which, he could see from a glance that Dog wasn't there, so she continued to check the bushes nearby.

Dog wasn't here. Somehow Sakura knew that, even as she looked further. Dog had been badly injured, he must've been taken by someone, a policeman?

Surely this was a good sign. But something about that police cordon…


	17. Truth

**Truth**

Why would she wake up on a bench if she had been saved by the police? They would take her back to the station, for her statement if nothing else.

Which means it wasn't them who intervened, even if they had turned up eventually.

"I'm just glad the fire was caught in time. "

The woman speaking walked past, husband nodding. Behind them, Sakura stood frozen.

Someone had set a fire? Blue flames flashed through her mind.

_Fire – screams – someone begging – Dog whining – blue light – so much heat – "Burn to ashes,"_

With a gasp, she dropped the coat.

She remembered.


	18. Murder

**Murder**

Sakura remembered.

She had fallen after that man had tasered her. She had been scared then, terrified.

And then he appeared. The boy from before, the one with his hand on fire. He had burnt them, murdered those men, setting them on fire with that strange blue fire. They screamed, begged, but he had no mercy. His expression was blank, bored even. The flames seemed almost gentle as they destroyed those men. The casual malevolence turned her blood to ice.

It had grown so hot she felt herself falling unconscious as he turned to her.

A cold-blooded murderer.

Her saviour.


	19. Incongruous

**Incongruous **

Sakura swallowed, feeling sick.

Yes, they had been criminals, yes, they attacked the innocent, but that was no justification for murder. What sort of person did that!? The whole reason the justice system existed was to deal with people like those men had been. The police could handle it. Instead some vigilante, some demon boy, murdered them in cold blood.

She swallowed again, looking to the burnt paving stones, smeared with soot.

She frowned. The boy, he had only stepped in when she lost, defending her. He spared her, even left his coat for warmth.

Thinking, she turned towards home.


	20. Frustration

**Frustration**

Oogami Rei grimaced internally as he watched the girl leave the park, his coat in hand.

He wasn't sure what impulse had urged him to spare her. Really, he shouldn't have. She had seen his ability, twice in fact. Watched him destroy G-Falcon. She was a witness. _There were not meant to be witnesses!_

He had been standing above her unconscious form. All he had to do was touch the flame to her. One touch, and she would be gone. So why did he hesitate?

He hadn't killed her. Instead guarded over her until morning.

Why hadn't he killed her?


	21. Distracted

**Distracted**

Oogami paced his flat restlessly.

Those thugs hadn't been leaders in G-Falcon. He needed more information.

Unfortunately he couldn't focus. It was all her fault. That irritating, graceful girl.

He should have killed her. She was a witness! Instead he had omitted her completely from his report. Hadn't even considered it.

His phone buzzed. Another assignment?

_ You have been assigned Sector 3, Tokyo, until further notice._

His eyebrows rose. A long term assignment. Which meant he would need a long term cover. As of next week, he was starting high school.

Suddenly, sparing her didn't seem such a pressing issue.


	22. The New Mission

**The New Mission**

By his first day of school, Oogami had managed to forget the girl. Well more like he had found other things to occupy his mind. In the long run it wasn't important. He hadn't killed her, Eden didn't know about her, and she would continue to exist uninformed of how close she came to being destroyed. And he would continue to destroy any evil he was assigned to until the day he was overpowered, or reached his goal. Whichever.

And he had a new assignment from Eden that morning.

_Begin observation of Sakura Sakurakouji, student. Possible rare kind._

Sounded fun.


	23. Despondency

**Despondency **

Sakura sighed and sank lower into her seat.

It had been a miserable week. She had spent it searching all the nearby kennels, vets and animal rescue centres trying to find Dog, and not even found a hair. She had scoured the park for any evidence of what had happened after she fell unconscious, but it had rained Saturday night and destroyed any evidence she could have found. And she was no further to finding out the identity of her mysterious and deadly saviour.

Aoba sat beside her, with a bright smile.

"Cheer up Sakura. Something cool is happening today."


	24. Have You Heard?

**Have You Heard?**

Sakura smiled back and tried to look more cheerful. Aoba was one of her closest friends.

"Oh? What have you heard?"

Aoba leaned forwards with a devious look, glancing around before speaking.

"We are getting a new transfer student!" she confided. "I hear he's –"

"Good morning, class. Everyone take your seats." The class tutor interrupted. Aoba sat back reluctantly. "Today we gain a new student. Please, introduce yourself."

When Sakura saw him, she froze. Her books slid from her hands to the floor.

"My name is Oogami Rei. Please treat me well."

It was the boy from the park!


	25. Chance Meeting

**Chance Meeting**

The soft crash caught his attention. He didn't look over yet, as he followed the tutor into the room. Polite smile on his face, he turned to face the class as the tutor explained his presence there. He registered three viable escape routes from the classroom, as well as the best possible shields and weaponry around the room in a single second, before examining the reactions of his classmates.

Most just looked mildly interested. He stated his name, and the tutor looked for an unused desk.

That was when he saw her.

"—empty desk behind Sakurakouji."

He felt ill.


	26. Self Control

**Self Control**

It was only years of practice that allowed him to conceal his agitation. He smiled congenially towards the class, forcing his eyes to pass over her without catching. But he had already seen her face pale, her eyes widen. She recognised him.

This was bad!

What if she approached him? If his handler caught on that she knew his secret, she would be terminated on the spot. And he had no idea how severely he would be punished. Leaving a witness was unheard of.

Internally, he sighed.

He could act well enough. Their survival would all depend on her reaction.


	27. Don't Mention It

**Don't Mention It**

Walking over to the empty desk, he paused to kneel where Sakurakouji had dropped a book in her surprise. Her eyes had fallen to her desk during the seconds he had taken to think over their plight. Keeping his smile polite, he held it out to her, noting absently that it was a very advanced aikido text.

"I believe this is yours?"

She looked up, eyes serious now. Not a hint of the fear from before was present. She took the textbook.

"Thank you." He knew the words weren't referring to her book.

"Don't mention it."

He knew she would.


	28. Puzzling

**Puzzling**

It was definitely him. The same boy she saw that night, with his hand coated in flames. The one who saved her life and murdered her attackers.

But how could it be the same person? He sat there chatting with the other boys during lunch, the focus of attention as a new student. Always with a smile on his face, unfailingly polite. Nothing like the cold, graceful, deadly boy who had saved her life. Acting like it never happened. It was incongruous!

She had to sort this out.

"Oogami-san, may I speak with you privately?" She called out.

"Of course."


	29. Confrontation

**Confrontation**

They were on the roof.

Many students crowded the nearby windows for a view, but none could overhear. Oogami stood across from her, still smiling. It was starting to creep her out a little.

She began with the most pressing issue. "Where's Dog?"

He seemed confused. "I'm sorry?"

"Don't act ignorant. You were there. What happened to Dog after I passed out? Is he safe?"

"What are you talking about? I never met you before today."

"Please tell me!"

He remained silent, a bewildered look on his face. Sakura sighed heavily.

"You burned them. That night you saved my life."


	30. Masked

**Masked**

"What?!_ I_ saved your life? Are you sure you're not confusing me with somebody else?"

Sakura felt discouraged. What if he was right, and it was a case of mistaken identity? How embarrassing!

Then she looked again.

It was a perfect mask, almost. There was something, perhaps around the eyes? He was lying now, she was certain. But why? What would he gain?

"I...I'm not meant to know about your fire, am I?"

His eyes flashed, even as his mouth said "Is this some strange joke of Sakurakouji-san's?"

She thought a moment.

"Oogami-san, would you please accompany me back home?"


End file.
